Apparatus for impregnating yarn



e 11, 1951 L. P. MILLER APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING YARN 2 Sl-IEETS-SHEET. 1

Filed June 17, 1947 ,r ///////////fl 102111123???) Dec. 11, 1951 P. MILLER 2,577,793

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING YARN Filed June 17, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. 01a,? fi/II/K,

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 11, 1951 APPARATUS FOR IIHPREGNATING YARN Louis P. Miller, West Hazleton, Pa., assignor to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N, J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 17, 1947, Serial No. 755,078

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to the impregnation of yarn or the like and more particularly to an improved machine for effecting impregnation.

Whenever there is a need for impregnating yarn, cord or other form of bundled or twisted fibers, the basic problem is to drive the impregnant into the interior of the fibrous bundle. This problem becomes particularly complex when the impregnant is in the form of an emulsion. In such case, the impregnating agents are carried as small globules in another liquid medium such as water, andwhen the yarn is immersed in such an impregnant, the outer fibers thereof tend to screen out the globules and allow only the water or other liquid carrying medium to reach the inner fibers of the yarn.

In addition, the air trapped between the fibers at the center of the yarn is compressed when the yarn is fed over or between rollers and tends to further prevent liquids from reaching the center. This phenomenon reacts equally unfavorably to emulsions and impregnating agents which are truly dissolved in a liquid carrying agent or are liquids themselves.

The present invention aims to overcome the foregoing disadvantages and objections.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for impregnating yarn or the like which assures penetration of the impregnant into the fibers at the center of the yarn.

Another object is to provide a simple, practical and relatively inexpensive machine for handling the yarn to carry out the foregoing.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, these objects are accomplished by feeding the yarn between rotary means, and subjecting the rotary means to relative endwise movement while supplying the impregnant to the yarn whereby the yarn is kneaded or rolled to slightly loosen or untwist the fibers to relieve entrapped air and to momentarily open the yarn sufliciently to enable the impregnant to penetrate to the center.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of an impregnating machine illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of an impregnating machine illustrating another embodiment of the invention. Y

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 on Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown a yarn impregnating machine comprising a base I0 and a pair of upright side frames II mounted on the base. The side frames have bearings for rotatably mounting a drive shaft I2 and a cam operating shaft I4, and have bearings for rotatably and slidably mounting an idler shaft I5. Motor means (not shown) are adapted to efiect rotation of the drive shaft.

The driveshaft I2 has a roll I6 keyed thereon. and the idler shaft has a roll I! keyed thereon and positioned to be frictionally engaged by the roll I6 which is adapted to rotate the roll I1. These rolls are constructed and arranged to feed a plurality of strands of yarn Y therebetween and may be of any desired width depending on the number of strands to be fed by the machine. Preferably, one of the rolls has a soft covering I 8 so that, when the rolls are pressed together, the area of contact is of appreciable proportion.

A receptacle I9 adapted to contain the yarn impregnant is supported by the side frames II in a position whereby the underside of the roll I6 passes through the impregnant and applies the same to the yarn passing between the rolls 'I 6 and I1.

One of the rolls, for example the roll I1, is moved back and forth endwise with respect to the other roll I6 to prepare the yarn for impregnation., To accomplish this, the shaft I5 is moved back and forth by an arm 20 pivotally mounted to one of the side frames I I by a link 2I pivoted at 23 to the frame, and having one end connected to the shaft I5 by a spherical bearing 22 and having its other end provided with a follower 24 riding in a cam groove 25 of a cam drum 26 mounted on one end of the cam shaft II. The other end of the cam shaft is operatively connected to the drive shaft for rotation therewithby a gear 21 on the wide gear meshing with the gear 29 on the drive shaft.

In operation, yarn is fed between the rotating rolls II and I1, and the back and forth movement of the roll I! tends to slightly untwist and open the yarn for a sufllcient duration to allow the impregnant carried from the receptacle on the roll II to reach the center thereof to assure complete impregnation of the yarn.

Referring to Figures 3, 4 and of the drawings, there is shown a modified form of machine which differs essentially from the machine shown in Figures 1 and 2 in that the yarn is fed between a pair of rotary belts, both of which are positively rotated and moved sidewise.

This machine comprises a base 30 and a pair of upright side frames 3| mounted on the base. These side frames have bearings for rotatably mounting a drive shaft 32 and an operating shaft 34 and have bearings for rotatably and slidably mounting a pair of upper roll shafts 35 and a pair of lower roll shafts 36. a

The operating shaft 34 is adapted to be rotated by the drive shaft through a gear 31 on the drive shaft meshing with a gear 39 on the cam operating shaft. One of the shafts 35 and one of the shafts I are adapted to be rotated by the drive shaft through a gear 40 on the shaft 36 meshing with the gear 31 on the drive shaft and a gear 4| on the shaft 38 meshing with the gear 40.

Each of the shafts 35 and 36 has a roll 42 keyed thereon for rotation, and a continuous belt or' apron 44 is mounted on the pair of upper rolls and a similar belt or apron is mounted on the pair of lower rolls. These belts are formed of relatively soft pliable material and are arranged for feeding yarn therebetween.

A receptacle 45 adapted to contain the impregnant is supported by the side frames 3| in a position whereby the lower strand of the lower belt 44 passes through the impregnant and applies the same to the yarn passing between the belts.

Both the upper shafts 35 and the lower shafts 36 are adapted to be moved back and forth endwise to effect sidewise back and forth movement of the belts. This is accomplished by eccentric mechanisms 46, each having an arm 41 connected to a cross bar 49 (Figure 5) each having a pair of shafts 35 and 36 rotatably journalled therein in a manner to effect endwise movement thereof. The eccentric mechanisms are driven from the operating shaft 34 by intermeshing gears 50, 5|, 52, I3 and 54, respectively, and are constructed and arranged to provide opposed cycles of movement, that is, one eccentric mechanism moves the shafts 35 towards the right while the other moves the shafts 38 towards the left and vice versa.

In operation, yarn is fed between the belts 44 and the back and forth movement of these belts, while in rolling contact with each other, subjects the yarn to a kneading action which opens the yarn sufficiently to enable the impregnant to penetrate to the center. By feeding the yarn between belt strands of a substantial length, one of which carries the impregnant, the yarn is subjected to an impregnating action for a duration of time which assures penetration of the impregnant.

From the foregoing. description it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved machine for impregnating yarn or the like, which is simple, practical and economical. The belts or rolls also serve to compress a lightly twisted yarn to compact the same. The machines in accordanee with the invention are rugged in construction and can readily withstand long and continuous use without the necessity of repairs. Also, the machines are automatic in operation and can be utilized in large numbers with a minimum of manual supervision and without the employment of skilled labor.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

' It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and .all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for opening and impregnating a plurality of individual strands of yarn in twisted condition, said apparatus comprising a support; a pair of horizontally disposed rotary means at least one of which is axially slidable with respect to said support, said means each including shaft means mounted on said support in a predetermined fixed relation and a rotary member carried by and rotatable about the axis of said shaft means, each rotary member having a continuous substantially smooth periphery contacting the periphery of the other in driving engagement along a continuous zone extending across substantially the entire width of both of said members, said members being so constructed and arranged to cooperate with each other for feeding all of the strands of yarn at a uniform rate and for impregnating the yarn while passing through said zone and at least one of said rotary members being axially movable with respect to the other to open the yarn while passing through said zone; means for supplying impregnant to at least one of said rotary members; and mechanism including power driven means drivingly connected with at least one of said rotary means for effecting rotating movement of said rotary members and including cam means drivingly connected with the rotary means including the rotary member which is axially movable with respect to the other rotary member, said cam means being constructed and arranged for effecting back and forth movement in an axial direction of said axially movable rotary member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotary members are rolls.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotary members are rolls one of which has a soft covering.

4. Apparatus according to claim l, wherein said rotary members are endless belts each carried on a pair of rotary shaft means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said impregnant supplying means includes a tank mounted on said support for containing impregnant, and one of said rotary members extends into said tank'and is adapted to pass through the impregnant therein.

on said support for containing impreknant and one of said. belts extends into said tank and is adapted to pass through the impregnant therein. and both of said belts are drivi'ngly connected with said power driven means and said cam means. I

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said impregnant supplying means includes a tank mounted on said support for containing impregannounces crrnn The following references are, of record in the die of this patent:

Number Number 6 UNITED s'ra'ms ramm- Name Date Furbush Aug. 10, 1875 Mallison Feb. 11, 1879 Hess Feb. 8, 1898 Smith Jan. 12. .1915 Price Sept. 5, 1916 Scheri Dec. 5, 1916 Doering Mar. 30, 1920 Topham Feb. 12, 1929 Allen Sept. 13, 1932 Spanagel Apr. 7, 1942 Burgeni Apr. 16, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Aug. 17, 1931 

